(Top secret)

Tu Fu, the famous poet of the Tang period in China, wrote, "In all times, few are those who reach the age of seventy".

This year, I am 75. My mind has remained lucid, my body in good health. Still, I belong to that category of people "who are few in all times".

Who can say how much longer I shall live and be able to serve the Homeland and the revolution?

I therefore leave these few lines, in which I shall only deal briefly with a few matters, in anticipation of the day when I shall go and join Karl Marx, Lenin and other revolutionary elders; this way our people throughout the country and our comrades in the Party will not be taken by surprise.

First, about the Party - Thanks to its close unity and total dedication to the working class, the people and the Homeland, our Party has been able, since its founding, to unite, organize and lead our people from success to success in a resolute struggle.

Unity is an extremely precious tradition of our Party and people. All comrades, from the Central Committee down to the cells, must preserve the unity and oneness of mind in the Party as the apple of their eye.

Within the Party, to establish broad democracy and to practise self - criticism and criticism regularly and seriously is the best way to consolidate and develop solidarity and unity. Comradely affection should prevail.

Ours is a party in power. Every Party member, every cadre must be deeply imbued with revolutionary morality and show industry, thrift, integrity, uprighness, total dedication to the public interest and complete selflessness. Our Party should preserve absolute purity and prove worthy of its role as the leader and very loyal servant of the people.

The Working Youth Union members and our young people in general are good; they are always ready to come forward, fearless of difficulties and eager for progress. The Party must foster their revolutionary virtues and train them to be our successors, both "red" and "expert". in the building of socialism, The training and education of future revolutionary generations is of great importance and necessity.

Our labouring people, in the plains as in the mountains, have for generation after generation endured hardships, feudal and colonial oppression and exploitation, they have in addition experienced many years of war.

Yet, our people have shown great heroism, courage, enthusiasm and industriousness. They have always followed the Party since it came into being, with unqualified loyalty.

The Party must work out effective plans for economic and cultural development so as constantly to improve the life of our people.

The war of resistance against U.S. aggression may drag on for a few more years. Our people may have to face new sacrifices of life and property. Whatever happens, we must keep firm our resolve to fight the U.S. aggressors until total victory.

No matter what difficulties and hardships lie ahead, our people are sure of total victory. The U.S. imperialists will certainly have to quit. Our Homeland will certainly be reunified. Our fellow-countrymen in the South and in the North will certainly be re-united under the same roof. We, a small nation, will have earned the signal honour of defeating through heroic struggle two big imperialism - the French and the American - and of making a worthy contribution to the world national liberation movement.

About the world communist movement - Being a man who has devoted his whole life to the revolution, the more proud I am of the growth of the international communist and workers' movement, the more pained I am by the current discord among the fraternal Parties.

I hope that our Party will do its best to contribute effectively to the restoration of unity among the fraternal Parties on the basis of Marxism - Leninism and proletarian internationalism, in a way which conforms to both reason and sentiment.

I am firmly confident that the fraternal Parties and countries will have to unite again.

About personal matters - When I am gone, a grand funeral should be avoided in order not to waste the people's time and money.

I request that my remains be incinerated, in other words "cremated". I hope that "cremation" will become common practice. Not only is it good for the living from the point of view of hygiene, it also saves land. When we have a plentiful supply of electricity, "electric cremation" will be even better.

Let my ashesbe buried on a hill. There seem to be many suitable hills in the vicinity of Tam Dao and Ba Vi. On the site there should be a simply-designed house, spacious, cool, and solidly-built, where visitors could rest.

There should be a plan for Planting trees on the hill. Visitors will plant memorial trees. These should be well cared for. They will multiply with the passage of time and form forests which will benefit the landscape and agriculture.

If I should die before the country is reunified, let some of my ashes be sent to our compatriots in the South.

Finally, to the whole people, the whole Party, the whole army, to my nephews and nieces, the youth and children I leave my boundless love.

I also convey my cordial greetings to our comrades and friends, and to the youth and children throughout the world.

My ultimate wish is that our entire Party and people, closely joining their efforts, will build a peaceful, reunified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam and make a worthy contribution to the world revolution.
 

(Top secret)

This year I am 78 and can count myself among people who have lived "a fairly long life". My mind has remained lucid, though my health has somewhat declined in comparison with the last few years. One's health deteriorates with one's growing age. This is normal.

But who can say how much longer I shall live and be able to serve the Homeland and the revolution?

I therefore leave these few lines in anticipation of the day when I shall go and join Karl Marx, Lenin and other revolutionary elders; this way our people throughout the country and our comrades in the Party will not be taken by surprise.

About personal matters

All my life I have served the Homeland, the revolution, and the people with all my heart and strength. If I should now depart from this world, I would have nothing to regret, except not being able to serve longer and more.

When I am gone, a grand funeral should be avoided in order not to waste the people's time and money.

I request that my remains be incinerated, that is, "cremated". I hope that "cremation" will become common practice. Not only is it good for the living from the point of view of hygiene, it also saves farmland. When we have a plentiful supply of electricity, "electric cremation" will be even better.

Let my ashesbe divided into three parts, to be put in three ceramic boxes: one for the North, one for the Centre, and one for the South.

In each part of the country, let the box of ashes be buried on a hill. Let no stone stele and bronze statue be erected on the grave. Instead there should be a simply - designed spacious, solidly-built, and cool house, where visitors could rest.

A plan should be worked out to, plant trees on and around the hills. Let visitors plant memorial trees. With the passage of time, the trees will form forests which will benefit the landscape and agriculture. Care for the trees should be entrusted to local old people.

This month of May 1968, after reviewing this letter I have found it necessary to add a few more points without going into detail.

As soon as our people's war of resistance against U.S. aggression, for national salvation, has ended in complete victory, our entire Party, army and people must immediately strive to quickly heal the serious wounds inflicted by the U.S. imperialists in their barbarous war of aggression. This will be an immense endeavour, complicated and difficult. We must have a plan ready, clearly staled and meticulously drawn up, so as to avoid falling into a passive position and committing omissions and mistakes. In my opinion, the first thing to he done will be to rectify the Party, so as to make every Party member, every Youth Union member, every cell strive to fulfil the tasks entrusted to them and whole-heartedly serve the people. If this is done, we shall be able to carry through all our undertakings, however important and difficult.

First priority should go to people.

With regard to those who have valiantly shed their blood (cadres, soldiers, militiamen, guerrillas, young volunteers, etc.) the Party, the Government, and the people must do all they can to provide them with stable living conditions and at the same time organize vocational courses suited to each, so that they can gradually become "self-supporting".

With regard to fallen soldiers and revolutionary martyrs, each locality (town and city, village and commune) must build a park and erect stela to commemorate their heroic sacrifices, thereby educating future generations in patriotism.

With regard to the parents, wives and children of war invalids and fallen soldiers whose families are short-handed and impecunious, the local authorities (in the countryside, the communal administration and the farming cooperative) must help them find suitable employment and must under no circumstances let them suffer from want.

The young members of the people s armed forces and the young volunteers have all been tempered in battle and have proved their courage. The Party and the Government must select a number of the best elements and send them to schools where they are to be taught various professions and trades and trained into cadres and workers with technical skills, sound indeology and firm revolutionary stand. They will make up the main force for the successful construction of socialism in our country.

In the war of resistance against U.S. aggression, for national salvation our resourceful women have contributes a worthy share in combat and production. The Party and the Government must work out practical plans for their training and promotion so that there will be ever more women put in charge of all kinds of affairs, including leadership responsibilities. For their part the women must strive to advance. This is a revolution which will bring true equality to women.

With regard to victims of the old social regime, such as thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, smugglers, etc., the State must seek to reform them through both education and application of the law, and help them become honest working people.

In the long years of resistance to the French colonialists, then to the U.S. imperialists, our compatriots, especially the peasantry, have shown constant loyalty to the Party and the Government, contributed large amounts of human and material resources, and endured with equanimity all kinds of difficulties and hardships. Once complete victory has been won, I propose that all farming cooperatives should be exempted from the agricultural tax for one year, so as to make people happy and contented and add to their enthusiasm in striving to boost production.

Here I should like to mention the plan to rebuild our cities and villages and make them look even more beautiful, more presentable, than before the war. We should restore and expand all branches of the economy; promote hygiene and health care; make changes to the educational system to make it better suited to the new circumstances, e.g. multiply schools in which the children will combine study with manual labour. We must consolidate national defence and make preparations for national reunification...

The above undertakings constitute an immense endeavour, difficult and complicated, hut very glorious. It will be a struggle against the decrepit old in order to create the healthy new. In order to gain victory in this gigantic struggle, we must mobilize the entire people, organize and educate them, and rely on their immense strength.

Even though our people's struggle against U.S. aggression, for national salvation, may have to go through more hardships and sacrifices we are bound to win total victory. This is a certainty.

I intend, when that comes, to tour both South and North to congratulate our heroic fellow-countrymen, cadres and combatants, and visit old people and our beloved youth and children.

Then, on behalf of our people, I will go to the fraternal countries of the socialist camp and friendly countries in the whole world and thank them for their whole-hearted support and assistance to our people's struggle against U.S. aggression, for national salvation.

Tu Fu, the famous poet of the Tang period in China, wrote, "In all times, few are those who reach the age of seventy".

This year, being seventy - nine, I can already count myself among those "few"; still, my mind has remained perfectly lucid, though my health has somewhat declined in comparison with the last few years. When one has seen more than seventy Springs, health deteriorates with one's growing age. This is no wonder.

But who can say how much longer I shall be able to serve the revolution, the Homeland, and the people?

I therefore leave these few lines in anticipation of the day when I shall go and join Karl Marx, V. I. Lenin and other revolutionary elders: this way, our people throughout the country, our comrades in the Party, and our friends in the world will not be taken by surprise.